Centrifuge Functioning as Liposuction and Lipoinjection and Method Using the Same

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a centrifuge having liposuction and lipoinjection functions. The centrifuge comprises an air pump for vacuum and compression, valves, and a controller, thereby sequentially performing liposuction, centrifugation, and lipoinjection processes for autologous fat grafting using a single instrument. More specifically, the centrifuge comprises a pump device consisting of the air pump mounted in a case of the centrifuge for vacuum and compression and the valves connected to the air pump and adapted to be automatically opened or closed to selectively perform vacuum or compression, the controller to control operation of the pump device, and a connector formed at a side of the case to connect the pump device with an external unit for performing vacuum and compression.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to centrifuges having liposuction andlipoinjection functions, and more particularly to centrifuges havingliposuction and lipoinjection functions, which comprise an air pump forvacuum and compression, valves and a controller, thereby sequentiallyperforming liposuction, centrifugation, and lipoinjection processes forautologous fat grafting using a single instrument.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, cosmetic surgery, such as breast enlargement surgery, andface-lift surgery performed on nasal and nasolabial regions, cheek,etc., involved a prosthesis insertion and autologous fat grafting.Prosthesis insertion allows easy enlargement or reduction of the size ofa desired region of the body, but has a problem that it is clinicallydangerous and may cause the user discomfort due to the unnaturalsensation of having a foreign object inserted into the body. Autologousfat grafting comprises suctioning extra fat from the abdomen, legs, etc.of a patient and injecting the suctioned fat into the region of thepatient's body that is to be enlarged, e.g. the breasts, hips and face.Autologous fat grafting enables not only the removal of unwanted fat,but also the enlargement of relatively gaunt body regions, therebyachieving a balanced figure and eliminating the problems associated withthe insertion of a foreign object into the body. However, a problem ofautologous fat grafting is that it must be performed two or three timesto obtain a desired level of enlargement because the autologous fatshows an extremely low survival rate of 20-50%, resulting in massivetime and cost. Therefore, there have been many attempts to increase thesurvival rate of autologous fat, and as a result of clinicalexperimentations, it has been found that the survival rate of autologousfat can be increased by obtaining pure fat and injecting it into thedesired body regions to be enlarged. As is known, pure fat can beobtained by means of centrifuges that centrifugally separate fat fromblood, bodily fluids, and other impurities suctioned along with the fat.

Conventional autologous fat grafting consists of liposuction,centrifugation, and lipoinjection processes. The liposuction process isnormally performed by means of a suction device that is adapted tosuction fat into a vacuum bottle. A centrifuge is used in thecentrifugation process to obtain pure fat. Generally, the separated purefat is manually injected into the desired body regions to be enlarged bymeans of a syringe.

As will be easily understood from the above description, conventionalautologous fat grafting has problems in that it utilizes a plurality ofdevices including the centrifuge and the suction device, occupying toomuch space of an operation theater, and that it is inconvenient in usebecause an operator must frequently move about in order to operate theplurality of devices. Further, manual injection of the fat into specificbody regions, for example, muscularis, that are reluctant to theinsertion of a syringe, is very troublesome, and has the risk of causingunevenness of the fat injected body regions because it is substantiallyimpossible to continuously inject the fat by hand at a constantpressure.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide acentrifuge which comprises an air pump for vacuum and compression,valves, and a controller to allow an external unit to selectivelyperform vacuum or compression using a pneumatic pressure in addition toperforming basic centrifugation, thereby ensuring convenientliposuction, centrifugation and lipoinjection for rapid and convenientautologous fat grafting as well as easy pressure adjustment, andconsequently eliminating the risk of unevenness in the resultant fatsuctioned or injected body regions.

Although some existing centrifuges have been conventionally providedwith an air pump to produce a vacuum state within a chamber thereof tothereby reduce an air frictional force, the present invention has anoutstanding feature that an air pump is connected to an external unit toimpart vacuum and compression thereto to, thereby integrate the externalunit with the centrifuge, rather than be used to produce such a vacuumstate within a centrifuge chamber.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above andother objects can be accomplished by the provision of a centrifugecomprising: a centrifugal device having buckets, a rotor, and a chamber;a drive unit to drive the rotor; a controller to control the drive unit;a power supply to supply power to the drive unit and the controller; anda case having a door to open or close the chamber of the centrifugaldevice, further comprising a pump device having an air pump mounted inthe case for vacuum and compression, and valves connected to the airpump and adapted to be automatically opened or closed to selectivelyperform vacuum or compression, the pump device being controlled by thecontroller, and a connector formed at a side of the case to connect thepump device with an external unit for performing vacuum and compression.

Advantageous Effects

The centrifuge according to the present invention, comprises an airpump, valves, and controller to allow an external unit, connected to acase of the centrifuge via a connector, to perform vacuum andcompression in addition to basic centrifugation, thereby sequentiallyperforming liposuction, centrifugation, and lipoinjection processes forautologous fat grafting using a single instrument. The centrifuge of thepresent invention has the effect of eliminating a necessity of theinstallation space of a separate suction device, and of reducing theoverall number of parts, resulting in a minimized centrifuge size.Further, by performing all the processes of autologous fat graftingusing a single instrument, it is possible to enable rapid and convenientimplementation of the processes, resulting in a reduced operation timeand effort.

According to the present invention, furthermore, lipoinjection can beeasily achieved using a pneumatic pressure even in the case ofmuscularis that are reluctant to the insertion of a syringe, and canensure a constant injection pressure differently from conventionalmanual injection, thereby eliminating the risk of unevenness in theresultant fat suctioned or injected body regions. Through the use ofspeed adjustors, further, the operation speed of the centrifugeaccording to the present invention can be freely adjusted inconsideration of the operator's skill.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view illustrating the configuration of acentrifuge according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the operation ready procedure of thecentrifuge, immediately after power is initially supplied, according tothe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operational relationship of an airpump and valves for vacuum and compression included in the centrifugeaccording to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operating sequence of thecentrifuge as controlled by foot switches according to the presentinvention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Now, a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention will beexplained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Mode for the Invention

FIG. 1 is an elevation view illustrating a centrifuge according to thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the centrifuge comprises acentrifugal device 1, 2 and 3, a drive unit 4, a controller 5, a powersupply 6, a case 7 b, a pump device 11 and 12, and foot switches 31.

The centrifugal device includes a pair of buckets 1, a rotor 2 and achamber 3, in the same manner as conventional centrifugal devices. Therotor 2 is a rotary wing, such as a swing rotor or angle rotor. Thebuckets 1 are mounted to the surface of the rotor 2, and one or moretubes or syringes are fitted into the buckets 1. The chamber 3 has aninterior volume at least as wide as to stably or safely receive therotating buckets and rotor 1 and 2.

The drive unit 4 is mounted to the lower end of the rotor 2 and isadapted to rotate the rotor 2 upon receiving electric power from thepower source 6. The drive unit 4 is controlled by the controller 5.

A door 7 a is provided at the top of the chamber 3 to close the chamber3 for the safety of an operator when the rotor 2 rotates in the chamber3. During a centrifugation process, the door 7 a is opened to mounttubes or syringes, used to receive suctioned fat, to the buckets 1. Ofcourse, the door 7 a is closed prior to performing the centrifugationprocess.

The door 7 a is pivotally hinged at a side of the case 7 b as asupporting structure of the centrifuge. The case 7 b is further providedwith a connector 21 at a side thereof for the connection of an externalunit 22.

The external unit 22, for example, is a fat injection vessel included inthe sealed fat injection system disclosed in Korean Patent ApplicationNo. 10-2003-5029. Such an external unit 22 performs both liposuction andlipoinjection processes, thereby having no risk of external infectiondue to contact with the air.

The pump device includes an air pump 11 and a plurality of valves 12.The air pump 11 for vacuum and compression is mounted inside the case 7b and is connected to the connector 21. The valves 12 are interposedbetween the air pump 11 and the connector 21, and are designed to beautomatically opened or closed to allow the external unit 22, connectedwith the connector 21, to selectively perform vacuum or compression. Thepump device is also controlled by the controller 5.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the operation ready procedure of thecentrifuge, immediately after power is initially supplied, according tothe present invention. When the centrifuge is turned on upon receivingpower from the power supply 6, the valves 12 of the pump device aresimultaneously opened for 10 sec. by the controller 5. This procedureserves to discharge air remaining in lines between the connector 21 andthe air pump 11 to prevent unwanted liposuction and lipoinjection by theexternal unit 22 due to a pneumatic pressure, thereby ensuring a safesurgical operation.

The operating time of the centrifuge is checked at an interval of 1sec., and the centrifuge is programmed to have a rest time of 2 sec,which is the minimum air removal time for the driving of the air pump11. If an operation start commend is inputted to the controller 5 afterthe lapse of 2 sec., the controller 5 simultaneously closes all thevalves 12 and records an input state. After that, the controller 5proceeds to a “ready” state as shown in FIG. 4 to operate the air pump11 and the valves 12 for liposuction and lipoinjection. If no operatingcommand is inputted, the controller 5 keeps the valves 12 in the openedstate for 10 sec., and then automatically closes the valves 12. Then,the controller 5 proceeds to the ready state. Although the valveoperating time of 10 sec. is sufficient for the removal of air, it maybe appropriately changed without being limited thereto.

Although the centrifuge of the present invention configured as statedabove is able to perform liposuction, centrifugation and lipoinjectionprocesses, preferably, the centrifuge further comprises the footswitches 31 for facilitating the implementation of the liposuction andlipoinjection processes.

Now, the operating sequence of the centrifuge controlled by the footswitches and the operation of the air pump and valves for vacuum andcompression will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG.3, arrows denote the flow of air.

The foot switches include a first foot switch 31 a for vacuum, a secondfoot switch 31 b for low-pressure compression, and a third foot switch31 c for high-pressure compression. The number of the foot switches maybe varied in consideration of functions of the centrifuge.

In a liposuction process, first, a 2-5mm incision is made in the desiredbody regions for fat extraction, and a cannula is inserted through theincision. After that, the first foot switch 31 a is activated to applyvacuum to the external unit 22 connected with the cannula. Thereby,first and fifth valves 12 a and 12 e are opened and the air pump 11 isoperated by the controller 5. Through such an operating procedure,interior air of the external unit 22 is discharged to the outside bypassing through the fifth valve 12 e, air pump 11 and first valve 12 a,resulting in a vacuum state in the external unit 22 for the liposuctionprocess. To complete the liposuction process, the first foot switch 31 ais switched off to close the first and fifth valves 12 a and 12 e and tostop the operation of the air pump 11.

It should be noted that the above described liposuction processaccompanies the suction of blood, bodily fluids and other impurities inaddition to suctioning the fat. If the mixture of the blood, bodilyfluids, fat, and other impurities is directly injected into the desiredbody regions, such as the breasts, hips and face, the majority of thefat is absorbed into the remainder of the mixture, making it impossibleto enlarge the desired body regions to a desired shape or size. For thisreason, there have been many attempts to increase the survival rate ofthe fat, and as a result of clinical experimentation, it has been foundthat the survival rate of fat can be increased by injecting pure fatinto the body regions. Such a separation of the pure fat is achieved bya centrifugation process that centrifugally separates the mixture of theblood, bodily fluids, impurities, fat, etc. into a blood layer and a fatlayer by taking advantage of their different specific gravities. In thismanner, after removal of the blood layer, pure fat, can be injected intothe body.

After completing the centrifugation process, a cannula or syringe needleis inserted into the desired body regions for performing a lipoinjectionprocess. For this, pressure is applied to the external unit 22 connectedwith the cannula or syringe needle.

The pressure is freely selectable within a wide range of pressures bymeans of pressure adjustors 13. The pressure adjustors 13 arepneumatically operable and are adapted to maintain a constant pressure.The use of the pressure adjustors enables the lipoinjection process tobe performed at a constant pressure, thereby eliminating the risk ofunevenness in the fat injected region. The pressure adjustors 13 includea low-pressure press 13 a for use in the lipoinjection of subcutaneousfat layers, into which syringe needle is relatively easy, and ahigh-pressure press 13 b for lipoinjection into muscularis that arereluctant to the insertion of the syringe needle.

Considering the lipoinjection process in relation with subcutaneous fatlayers, first, the second foot switch 31 b for low-pressure compressionis activated to inject fat into subcutaneous fat layers. According tothe activation of the second foot switch 31 b, second and fourth valves12 b and 12 d are opened and the air pump 11 is operated by thecontroller 5. Thereby, outside air is suctioned into the external unit22 by passing through the fourth valve 12 d, air pump 11, pressureadjustor 13, and second valve 12 b. This allows the fat inside theexternal unit 22 to be injected into the desired body regions by way ofthe cannula or syringe needle. To complete the lipoinjection process,the second foot switch 31 b is switched off to close the second andfourth valves 12 b and 12 d and to stop the operation of the air pump11.

Next, considering the lipoinjection process in relation with muscularisthat are reluctant to the insertion of the syringe needle, first, thethird foot switch 31 c for high-pressure compression is activated toensure smooth injection of fat into the body region, namely, muscularis.According to the activation of, third and fourth valves 12 c and 12 dare opened and the air pump 11 is operated by the controller 5. Thereby,outside air is suctioned into the external unit 22 by passing throughthe fourth valve 12 d, air pump 11, pressure adjustor 13, and thirdvalve 12 c. This allows the fat inside the external unit 22 to beinjected into the desired body regions by way of the cannula or syringeneedle. To complete the lipoinjection process, the third foot switch 31c is switched off to close the third and fourth valves 12 c and 12 d andto stop the operation of the air pump 11.

The centrifuge of the present invention further comprises speedadjustors 14 installed in press lines between the air pump 11 and theconnector 21 to adjust the operational speed of the high-pressure orlow-pressure compression. The speed adjustors 14 are pneumaticallyoperable and can adjust the flow rate of air during the high-pressure orlow-pressure compression in consideration of the operator's skill ordesired body regions to be enlarged.

During the liposuction and lipoinjection processes, an interior pressureof the external unit 22 arrives an excessive pressure beyond apredetermined value determined by the pressure adjustor 13, theoperation of the foot switches are stopped. That is, as shown in theflow chart of FIG. 4 illustrating the operating sequence of thecentrifuge as controlled by the foot switches, if a response of aquestion overpressure? is yes, the air pump 11 and the valves 12 areautomatically stopped in operation, causing the foot switches to beswitched off. This is a safety measure against the malfunction of thepressure adjustor 13.

If the first to third foot switches 31 are switched off during theliposuction and lipoinjection processes, the valves 12 and the air pump11 are stopped in operation, and the first to fifth valves 12 are openedsimultaneously to remove the residual interior pressure of the externalunit 22. This has the effect of preventing unwanted liposuction orlipoinjection due to a pneumatic pressure caused at a time that thecannula or syringe needle is removed from the body regions. In this way,the controller 5 returns to original state shown in FIG. 2, and repeatsthe above described procedure performed immediately after the centrifugeis turned on.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The centrifuge according to the present invention comprises an air pump,valves, and controller to allow an external unit, connected to a case ofthe centrifuge via a connector, to perform vacuum and compression inaddition to basic centrifugation, thereby sequentially performingliposuction, centrifugation, and lipoinjection processes for autologousfat grafting using a single instrument. The centrifuge of the presentinvention has the effect of eliminating a necessity of the installationspace of a separate suction device, and of reducing the overall numberof parts, achieving a minimum centrifuge size. Further, by performingall the processes of autologous fat grafting using a single instrument,it is possible to enable rapid and convenient implementation of theprocesses, resulting in a reduced operation time and effort.

According to the present invention, furthermore, lipoinjection can beeasily achieved using pneumatic pressure even in the case of muscularisthat are reluctant to the insertion of a syringe, and can ensure aconstant injection pressure differently from conventional manualinjection, thereby eliminating the risk of unevenness in the resultantfat suctioned or injected body regions. Through the use of speedadjustors, further, the operation speed of the centrifuge according tothe present invention can be freely adjusted in consideration of theoperator's skill.

1. A centrifuge comprising: a centrifugal device having backets, arotor, and a chamber; a drive unit to drive the rotor; a controller tocontrol the drive unit; a power supply to supply power to the drive unitand the controller; and a case having a door open or close the chamberof the centrifugal device, further comprising: a pump device having anair pump mounted in the case for vacuum and compression, and valvesconnected to the air pump and adapted to be automatically opened orclosed to be selectively perform vacuum or compression, the pump devicebeing controlled by the controller; and a connector formed at a side ofthe case to connect the pump device with an external unit for performingvacuum and compression.
 2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1,further comprising: pressure adjustors provided between the air pump andthe connector of the case and adapted to adjust the level of a pressurefor allowing liposuction and lipoinjection processes to be performed ata constant pressure.
 3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising: speed adjustors provided in press lines between the air pumpand the connector of the case and adapted to adjust the flow rate of airin consideration of the skill of an operator and body regions where theliposuction and lipoinjection operations are performed.
 4. A method ofperforming liposuction and lipoinjection using a centrifuge comprising:a centrifugal device having buckets, a rotor, and a chamber; a driveunit to drive the rotor; a case having a door to open or close thechamber of the centrifugal device; a pump device having an air pumpmounted in the case for vacuum and compression, and valves connected tothe air pump and adapted to be automatically opened or closed toselectively perform vacuum or compression, the valves including first tofifth valves; a controller to control the drive unit and the pumpdevice; a power supply to supply power to the drive unit and thecontroller; and a connector formed at a side of the case to connect thepump device with an external unit for performing vacuum and compression,the method comprising: performing a liposuction process by inserting acannula into an incision and activating a first foot switch to open thefirst and fifth valves and to operate the air pump, applying vacuum tothe external unit for liposuction; performing a centrifugation processby mounting a syringe, that is filled with suctioned fat, and operatingthe centrifugal device to centrifugally obtain pure fat; and performinga lipoinjection process by activating a second foot switch to open thesecond and fifth valves and to operate the air pump to thereby supplyair into the external unit, allowing the pure fat inside the externalunit to be injected into subcutaneous fat layers or by activating athird foot switch to open the third and fifth valves and to operate theair pump to thereby supply air into the external unit, allowing the purefat inside the external unit to be injected into muscularis, wherein,prior to performing the processes, the method further comprises removingair remaining in lines between the connector of the case and the airpump by opening the valves by means of the controller at a time when thecentrifuge is turned on upon receiving power from the power supply. 5.The method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising: closing thevalves and stopping the operation of the air pump if the controllerdetects an overpressure beyond a predetermined value during vacuum orcompression.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:removing a residual pressure inside the external unit by opening thevalves after vacuum or compression is completed.
 7. The method as setforth in claim 5, further comprising: removing a residual pressureinside the external unit by opening the valves after vacuum orcompression is completed.